Goodwill to offer financial literacy classes to public

After the success of Good Dollars and Sense—Goodwill’s first free course of financial management, Goodwill will offer two financial literacy classes to members of the greater Rockford area in February.

The class supplies individuals with the knowledge and tools needed to make wise financial decisions while giving the students opportunities to develop relationships with local financial organizations. The curriculum is informative, the instructors are approachable, and the small class size encourages student discussions.

“I liked its [the course’s] down-to-earth approach to educating people about finances. I feel like if someone did not at least have a high school diploma—they would not feel intimidated by the class or the financial jargon,” said one course graduate.

Goodwill’s first financial literacy course was incredibly successful and boasts a graduation rate of 100 percent. Eighty-three percent of students increased their confidence in their financial management abilities, and 92 percent of students reported they have taken at least one positive step toward reaching their financial goals.

Goodwill would like to thank Family Credit Management, Rockford Area Affordable Housing Coalition, the Better Business Bureau, Members Alliance Credit Union, Generations Credit Union, Eckburg & Bates, Fifth Third Bank, and Savant Capital Management for their help in making Good Dollars and Sense a successful and sustainable program.

Good Dollars and Sense will be held every Tuesday and Thursday from Feb. 8 to 24. Day classes will be from 10 a.m. until noon, and night classes will be from 6 until 8 p.m. at Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois at 315 N. Main St., Rockford. If you are interested in signing up for the class or would like more information, contact Staci at Goodsense@goodwillni.org or (815) 987-6203. Classes are open to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois

Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois is a community-based, not-for-profit organization that provides jobs training and placement services for people with barriers to achieve meaningful employment. Rockford, serves as the headquarters for Goodwill Northern Illinois and is one of 179 Goodwill agencies under the auspices of Goodwill Industries International (GII) GII was recently named by Forbes magazine as the No. 2 not-for-profit in the country. Goodwill Northern Illinois’ territory includes an 18-county area in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin with a combined population of more than 1.1 million residents. Goodwill’s retail operations sell donated, gently-used products as well as new items such as overstocks and close-outs from some of the best-known stores in the state. Goodwill stores in northern Illinois (Rockford, Machesney Park, Freeport, Sterling, DeKalb and Ottawa) and Beloit, Wis., employ more than 200 people. The website is goodwillni.org.